Fitch keeps S. Korea's credit rating unchanged at 'AA-,' outlook stable

Global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings said Monday it has reaffirmed South Korea's sovereign rating at "AA-" with a stable outlook, while suggesting an economic growth of 1.2 percent this year. Fitch's rating for South Korea has been AA-, the fourth-highest level on the agency's table, since September 2012. "Korea's rating balances robust external finances, resilient macroeconomic performance and a dynamic export sector against geopolitical risks related to Nort

EconomyMarch 13, 2023

Swing launches mobility services for foreign users

South Korean personal mobility startup Swing said Monday that it is starting services for foreign users by diversifying identity verification methods to include passports and international driving licenses. In a recent mobile application upgrade, foreign nationals living or visiting Korea can register for a membership through a simpler identification process to use the company’s mobility services using electric scooters, bicycles, or boards. Currently, the app supports Korean and English,

MobilityMarch 13, 2023

How will SVB collapse affect Korea?

  President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday that uncertainty in the financial market is growing due to the bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank, one of the largest banks in the United States. “The cause of the SVB collapse, the progress of the situation, the US authorities’ response, as well as their impact on the domestic financial market and the real economy should be closely examined by the deputy prime minister of economy and others,” he said at a meeting with senior secretarie

EconomyMarch 13, 2023

Amid continued inflation, Korea to review liquor tax system

The government will examine the liquor tax system, which has been propelling recent increases in beer prices amid the persistent inflation. According to the Korean Statistical Information Service’s data on Monday, the price index for beer products at restaurants and outdoor dining establishments has increased to 112.63 in February, up 10.5 percent compared to the same month a year ago. It was higher than the increase of the price index for beer products at discount and convenience stores:

ConsumerMarch 13, 2023

Diplomacy urged to ease concerns over US CHIPS Act

South Korea's chip industry is feeling pressured to take a side between the United States and China in the two superpowers’ strategic rivalry, as Washington recently disclosed some "unusual" requirements for its $52 billion semiconductor funding program aimed at securing an upper hand against Beijing. Home to two of the world's largest memory chip makers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the South Korean government has also raised concerns, as the US CHIPS and Scienc

IndustryMarch 13, 2023

[K-Financiers] Mastern aims to broaden US portfolio

This is the second installment of a series of interviews on chiefs who run overseas units of Korean asset management, banking and securities companies, examining their key strategies for global expansion. -- Ed. Mastern America, the US arm of Mastern Investment Management, plans to open up its business to individual investors to tackle new markets in real estate investment. Though real estate investment has conventionally been more focused on institutional investors, Joseph Oh, CEO of Mastern

MarketMarch 13, 2023

[KH Explains] Will Apple Pay-backed Hyundai Card renew credit card rivalry?

Ahead of the long-awaited Korean debut of Apple Pay later this month, all eyes are on whether Hyundai Card, the official partner of the mobile payment service for iPhones, will raise its market share to outpace bigger rivals Shinhan Card and Samsung Card. Credit card companies compete head-on in a crowded market here. According to the Credit Finance Association, Shinhan Card was the largest credit card issuer with 19.6 percent as of the fourth quarter of last year, closely followed by Samsun

IndustryMarch 13, 2023

[Herald Interview] Able C&C going global with ‘fast beauty’ strategy

Korean beauty products have strong competitiveness in the overseas market with their affordable prices, quality and the ability to quickly reflect trends in the dynamically changing global cosmetics industry, says the CEO of Able C&C, a firm that manages a range of Korean budget cosmetics brands including Missha. "South Korea has a unique cosmetics ecosystem, as opposed to France and the United States -- the original powerhouses of the global cosmetics industry," said CEO Kim Eugen

ConsumerMarch 13, 2023

[Newsmaker] Hankook Tire halts fire-hit Daejeon plant

Hankook Tire and Technology has stopped production altogether at its Daejeon plant after a fire burned some of the factory buildings and left severe damage, the South Korean tire manufacturer said Monday. Although buildings in one of the two factory complexes were not damaged by the fire, a Hankook Tire official explained that the company is shutting down its operation for the day as part of safety measures. "We don't know when the plant will resume operation at the moment," the o

MobilityMarch 13, 2023

Ford points finger at SK On over F-150 recall

US auto giant Ford recently reiterated SK On’s battery defect in recalling 18 F-150 Lightnings that led to the production shutdown of the electric pickup trucks after a battery fire incident last month. “Ford is recalling 18 F-150 Lightnings due to a battery cell manufacturing defect, which occurred over a four-week period starting at the end of last year,” the carmaker said in a statement Friday local time. SK On is the battery supplier for the flagship model. The trucks mig

MobilityMarch 13, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Antarctica, a savior to the future of the Earth'

In the 2009 movie “Avatar,” set in the year 2154, the Earth’s natural resources have been depleted, so people explore another star system to mine a valuable mineral. But before going to outer space, mankind can rely on Antarctica, a well-preserved continent twice the size of Australia, and the vast Southern Ocean -- also called the Antarctic Ocean -- around it, rich in water, food and mineral resources. The kilometers-thick ice and snow covering the continent hold in store th

TechnologyMarch 13, 2023

Samsung Pay boosts ties with Naver, Kakao to cement payment leadership

In an apparent move to counter Apple Pay’s long-awaited debut this month, Samsung Pay is seeking a stronger alliance with local mobile payment providers to consolidate its digital payment service's dominant position at home. Samsung Electronics has been in discussion with Kakao’s payment leg Kakao Pay over a potential partnership deal, seeking business synergy between the two popular payment services, according to industry sources on Monday. If the service integration is realize

IndustryMarch 13, 2023

BOK closely monitoring impact of SVB collapse on financial markets, economy

The Bank of Korea said Monday that it will closely monitor any impact of last week's collapse of a US tech startup-focused lender on domestic financial market and economic conditions, though it dismissed worries that the issue could turn into a systemic risk. On Friday, US banking regulators shut down Silicon Valley Bank and took control of its customer deposits in the largest failure of a US bank since the 2008 financial crisis. It was followed by the collapse of another US bank, Signature

EconomyMarch 13, 2023

Seoul stocks open tad lower in wake of US bank failure

Seoul stocks opened slightly lower Monday, as investors brace for the fallout from the Silicon Valley Bank's collapse amid woes over the Federal Reserve's monetary tightening. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 3.79 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,390.8 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The market got off to a lackluster start after the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 1.07 percent Friday, with the tech-laden Nasdaq Composite declining 1.76 percent. Las

MarketMarch 13, 2023

Exports down 16% during first 10 days of March

South Korea's exports fell 16.2 percent on-year in the first 10 days of March, data showed Monday, due to sluggish shipments of chips. The country's outbound shipments stood at $15.8 billion in the March 1-10 period, compared with $18.8 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports advanced 2.7 percent on-year to $20.8 billion during the cited period, resulting in a trade deficit of $4.9 billion. In February, the country's outbound shipments

EconomyMarch 13, 2023

Samsung SDS renews vision for cloud leadership

South Korea’s IT services firm Samsung SDS on Friday unveiled a renewed vision for its burgeoning cloud business, touting itself as the nation’s only “hybrid” service provider that offers integrated hardware and software solutions for corporate clients. “Cloud computing itself is inherently complicated enough and it also covers a vast range of options now. We’d like to simplify the service for our clients under our new brand slogan, ‘Cloud. Simply Fi

TechnologyMarch 12, 2023

[Beyond Earth] Hanwha looking long-term with space business

Hanwha Group, South Korea's seventh-largest conglomerate by total value of assets, solidified itself as the leading player in the country’s space race in the private sector when its aerospace arm, Hanwha Aerospace, won the bid to lead the project of upgrading the homegrown Nuri rocket over Korea Aerospace Industries in December 2022. On top of advancing the Nuri rocket through four more launches by 2027, Hanwha has made it clear that it aims to become what it calls a “total spac

CompaniesMarch 12, 2023

Kakao to take control over SM

The heated competition to take over leading K-pop agency SM Entertainment seems to have come to a sudden, amicable halt, as IT giant Kakao is set to seize control of the label while its rival Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind global sensation BTS, has decided to drop its bid with future cooperation in mind. “Hybe assessed that the market is showing signs of overheating, following the rivalry with Kakao and Kakao Entertainment,” Hybe said through an official statement on Sunday. &ldqu

MarketMarch 12, 2023

Coupang withdraws from Japan to focus on Korea, Taiwan

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang is expected to withdraw from the Japanese delivery service market later this month and to focus more on expanding its business in Korea and Taiwan, according to news reports Sunday. Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun, or more commonly known as the Nikkei, reported Saturday that Coupang Japan has decided to end its pilot food and household goods delivery service it has run over the past two years on March 21. The pilot program, launched in June 2021, aims to

ConsumerMarch 12, 2023

[KH Explains] Korean battery makers hint at ‘price war’ against Chinese rivals

After years of a high-pricing, premium strategy, South Korea’s top three battery makers -- LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On -- are increasingly turning their eyes to low-priced batteries in an apparent move to prevent ceding more market share to their fast-growing Chinese rivals in the soaring global electric vehicle market. SK On, a spinoff from SK Innovation, will unveil its first lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, at this week’s InterBattery trade show that kicks off

MobilityMarch 12, 2023